We all need rest.

It’s not an option.

We can’t continue doing what we do without taking a moment to breathe.

But when you’re a mom of small children, sometimes it’s hard to catch your breath. That’s how I feel. My life is filled with so many things, so many demands, and it’s easy to get bogged down by them.

And it seems like when one thing doesn’t get done, then it becomes a domino effect, and everything falls apart.

At least that’s how you look at it. Okay, maybe that’s just how I look at it.

A couple weekends ago was one of those moments where I hit my capacity. I felt like I couldn’t just keep surviving. I wanted something more. I wanted to breathe, to feel like I did before kids. To feel like a person. To feel like I could do more than laundry, clean up messes, and wipe poopy butts. I wanted so much more.

Too often we keep it in. Too often we try to power through it, thinking that asking for help is a sign of weakness, a sign that we don’t have it all together.

Let me tell you…we don’t have it together. No one does. Everyone needs to lean on someone at some point or another. We were created for relationships. We were created for community.

I’m not a very good communicator, so I don’t like to let on that I need help.

Okay, see Hubby, I can admit that (even though I don’t want to when we’re having a disagreement). I know I stink at communicating. I don’t always let him know when something is weighing me down until I explode, which isn’t good for anyone.

He encouraged me that weekend to pray for rest and then look for moments and be thankful for them.

As a mom, it’s hard to have extended moments of rest like I did before children. It’s so easy for me to get discouraged when I don’t get a break. It’s so easy for me to focus on everything that needs done (or everything that should have been crossed off my to-do list already) instead of being thankful for the few moments of rest in a day.

Here’s what I wrote that Sunday a couple weekends ago…

I woke up this morning praying to see and appreciate those moments of rest.

Let me tell you, I have experienced some very simple moments that have meant so much.

I was able to get a shower without anyone coming into the bathroom. That hardly ever happens. Usually the kids come in as soon as they wake up in the morning.

Thank you, Jesus, for rest.

As I got out of the shower, I heard the girls’ bathtub running. Michael was giving them a bath. I absolutely hate giving baths. Not sure why, but I dread that time of the day. I didn’t ask him to do it; he just did. And let me tell you, I cried a little.

Thank you, Jesus, for rest.

After church, Michael dropped me off at home and took the girls with him to run an errand.

So here I sit, penning these words.

Thank you, Jesus, for rest.

Today I’m focusing on those small moments instead of allowing the negative to drown me.

I feel rested.

I feel rejuvenated.

I feel like I can breathe.

Do you need rest? Have you been yearning for it to look a certain way and end up disappointed when it doesn’t meet your expectations?

Let’s look at those small moments where God quiets our worlds and our hearts, and fully rest in that (and thank him for the moment).

It might change the weight we feel.